WKU News

The NBCC Foundation, an affiliate of the National Board for Certified Counselors (NBCC), recently selected WKU graduate student Holly C. Osterman of Bowling Green for the NBCC Minority Fellowship Program-Addictions Counselors (MFP-AC).

As an NBCC MFP-AC fellow, Osterman will receive funding and training to support her education and facilitate her addictions counseling service to underserved minority transition-age youth (ages 16–25). The NBCC MFP will distribute up to $11,000 to Osterman and the 30 other master’s-level addictions counseling students selected to receive the fellowship award.

Osterman, who received her bachelor’s degree from WKU in 2015, is pursuing a master’s degree in the clinical mental health counseling program. Upon graduation, Osterman looks forward to working with transition-age minority youth, specifically those who struggle with drug or alcohol addictions. Her interest lies particularly in recovery programs for the female population of underserved, low income, and rural areas where there are limited resources for treatment. Osterman hopes the Minority Fellowship Program will help to build her professional network within the counseling community while allowing her to complete the classes needed to obtain her Licensed Clinical Alcohol and Drug Counselor licensure.

The NBCC MFP-AC is made possible by a grant awarded to NBCC by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) in September 2014. The Foundation is contracted by NBCC to administer the NBCC MFP-AC, as well as training and collaboration activities, such as webinars, that are open to all National Certified Counselors (NCCs). The goal of the program is to reduce health disparities and improve behavioral health care outcomes for racially and ethnically diverse populations by increasing the available number of culturally competent behavioral health professionals.

The NBCC Foundation has also awarded 23 $20,000 doctoral fellowships through the Minority Fellowship Program and 30 $8,000 master’s-level fellowships through the MFP-Youth (MFP-Y). The Foundation plans to open the next NBCC Minority Fellowship Program application period in September 2017. To learn more about the NBCC MFP and its fellows, visit www.nbccf.org/programs/scholarships.

About the NBCC Foundation: The NBCC Foundation is the nonprofit affiliate of the National Board for Certified Counselors (NBCC), based in Greensboro, North Carolina. NBCC is the nation’s premier professional certification board devoted to credentialing counselors who meet standards for the general and specialty practices of professional counseling. Currently, there are more than 60,000 National Certified Counselors in the United States and more than 50 countries. The Foundation’s mission is to leverage the power of counseling by strategically focusing resources for positive change.

Contact: NBCC Foundation, (336) 232-0376